The Best Gift

The family party on Saturday was a success.

I didn't get done everything I would have liked to do, but enough. AJ and M&M were fabulous helpers, picking up and vaccuuming. They're old enough now that when they help, the word doesn't require quotation marks around it.

DH is one of 12 children, so just his parents, siblings and spouses, and their children makes for a big crowd. Our girls have more than 50 cousins. Of course, not everyone is in town, and a few we had expected weren't able to come. Still, I counted 27 people.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and the family time.

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The white elephant gift exchange was great fun, as usual. The family has gotten so large that we don't do a regular gift exchange any more--everyone just brings a gift or two, some gag gifts and some nice gifts, and we draw numbers. Adding the ability to "steal" gifts makes it fun, too. The little children have their own small gift exchange that doesn't involve stealing.

BIL and SIL stayed the night with their two children. The 5 kids had so much fun playing together. They left after breakfast, and we went to church.

In the afternoon I still wasn't feeling well, so DH let me sleep for several hours while he took over with the kids.

This morning we exchanged gifts and acted out the story of Christ's birth with a little nativity scene made up of sculpey clay with some additions of plastic and porcelain figures gleaned from various sources.

Now DH and the two older girls are off to sing carols with his family at the nursing care center, and Baby E and I are going to take a nap.

Quote from AJ: "Jesus is the best gift, isn't He? He came to die for our sins, and that was the very best gift of all."

M&M: "But after he died Jesus rose again, and he's alive!!! Reall-wy alive! That's the good news!"